Castigating the TDP for unabashedly encouraging defections for gaining undue political advantage in the ensuing elections to the Municipal, Mandal and Zilla Parishat chairmen, YSRCP asked the ruling party in Andhra Pradesh to stop forthwith resorting to unethical and undemocratic practices of buying councilors and local body members in the open market with its money power.

Referring to the open invitation extended to the YSRCP Municipal councilors, MPTC and ZPTC members by TDP leader Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy to defect to his party, party senior leaders Dr. M.V. Mysura Reddy and Ambati Rambabu warned the ruling party that its open encouragement to defection will soon boomerang on it.

“Somireddy Chandramohana Reddy has openly invited our councilors, MPTC and ZPTC members to join TDP saying that the YSRCP’s whip is not valid and will not cause any disqualification if they defect to TDP,” Mysura said, making it clear that YSRCP’s whip is fully valid. “The defectors are bound to lose their membership.”

He said YSRCP is already a recognized party and the chairmen elections are taking place in the first week of July. “We are fully entitled to issue whip which will be hundred per cent valid. Somireddy Chandramohana Reddy’s reference to the Singam Satyanarayana Vs Elections Commission case is totally irrelevant here. As TRS was not a recognized political party in 2001, the HC said its whip was not valid in the case. But ours is a recognized political party now and we can issue whip,” Mysura said and added: ‘A party need not be a recognized party for issuing whip in case of MPs, MLCs and MLAs but in case of local body and Municipal chairman polls, only recognized parties can give whip. And we are already a recognized party.’

The election commission has already informed the District Collectors that YSRCP is entitled to issue whip in the ensuing elections, he observed, adding that TDP is only trying to confuse people on the issue.

Ambati Rambabu asked the TDP leadership to concentrate on implementing its poll promises instead of encouraging defections in a brazen manner for its undue political advantage. ‘Somireddy’s argument that YSRCP cannot issue whip is without any logic. He must have gone mad to say this.’

-Sakshipost